and after dying of unrequited love, the gods turned him into a flower as beautiful as he had been.

If there were no Daffodils, winter would be much too long.

Once planted, Daffodils should not be divided and their foliage not cut until the leaves turn yellow (mid June to early July). They need full sunlight to supply them with enough energy for next year's display.

In a vase do not mix Daffodils with other flowers.

Chemicals in their sap prevent other flowers from taking up water.

A Fall application of slow release potassium-rich fertilizer(10:10:20) will do wonders.

33 comments:

Dear Gina,What a lovely beautiful post. How I love daffodils ..and i dont have many in my garden. I will be planting more for next year.I so agree.. a garden is not the same without them.Your photos are stunning.. so romantic.I learnt a little about them with this post.Didnt know you shouldnt split them...Happy thursday.. xxxx val

Dear Val, It is only suggested that you don't split them so that they become naturalized. Daffodils always look so pretty when they appear to be planted by mother nature. I remember lovely scenes in Whales where green meadows, newly born lambs and large patches of Daffodils made for a postcard setting. ox, Gina

Dear Val, What I love about Daffodils (besides their beauty) is that animals do not eat their bulbs during the winter months. Unlike Tulips, which get eaten every year, at our place. Daffodils naturalize beautifully and are so lovely to see in early Spring. You can split Daffodils but they look more beautiful when clumped together. ox, Gina

I love Narcissi, as we obviously call them in Greece, and I have many in my garden! What I did not know is that you should not put them in the vase with other flowers! Thanks for this info!!! I learn so many things in your blog!!! My garden is also so beautiful at this time of the year. Come and have a look ! We will celebrate our Greek Orthodox Easter this coming Sunday and I have just finished preparing my red eggs!!!!I wish you a very happy month of May!!!!xxx Marie-Anne

Dear Marie-Anne, If you condition your Daffodils by placing them in cool water overnight, then you can change the water and add other flowers. Daffodils do look wonderful when paired with other flowers. You do have a beautiful garden and I look forward to seeing your photographs after your Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations. ox, Gina

Dear Mark, I know that fancy restaurants and well-known chefs love to use flowers and/or their leaves as garnish. I can't bring myself to eat them. I feel as if I have to apologize to them. So many flowers are edible, nasturtiums, snapdragons, violets, calendula, borage, sweet woodruff, safflower, rose of sharon, red clover, linden, lavender, johny-jump-ups, hibiscus, elderberry flower, dianthus, chrysanthemus, bee balm and so many, many more.

Hello Garden of Threads. Daffodils don't mind the shade if the soil is rich. They may decline after a few years if they don't get enough sun. The most important thing to remember is not to cut or braid their leaves after they stop blooming. You must wait until the leaves have yellowed. That is the sign that they have stopped taking on nutrients and they will stay dormant until the next Spring.

Dear Frances, Yes, Daffodils are wonderful. So lucky for me that our little field critters don't like them, unlike my tulips which they live on during winter months. My Daffodil patch is getting bigger every year and more beautiful every year. All I have to do is stand back and admire. Those are the times when gardening is not a chore. ox, Gina

Dear Gina, what an artful display of daffodils with so many different names watched over by a chubby cherub.All of them are so pretty but I like especially Holland Sensation, Beersheba and Pistachio. You always have the most varied selection of any flower photographed so beautifully.Greetings, Sieglinde

Dear Sieglinde, One of the things I love about Daffodils is that they stay true. Unlike Tulips which will eventually go back to their natural colors, red and yellow. For some reason my favorite is Katie Heath. But then I like all the others, as well. When it comes to flowers it is hard for me to pick favorites...I love them all. ox, Gina

Dear Theresa, The background (Putti) for my Daffodil collection is a sample board I painted for a ceiling installation. Just goes to show you not to throw anything away...it might come in handy down the road. If you leave newly cut Daffodils in water overnight they stop leaking sticky sap and you can then mix them in a bouquet with other flowers. After all, Daffodils bring just the right shade of yellow to a beautiful arrangement of Spring flowers. ox, Gina

There is such a lovely variety of daffodils, and I, like you, enjoy them when they are naturalised. We have lots poking up in the lawns which makes a perfect green foil for them.Good tip about them poisoning other flowers in a vase, just came a little bit too late for me, but I shall remember for the future - thank you Gina.

Dear Rosemary, I grow all of my Daffodils in a large patch. That way I can let the leaves age so that they will bloom again next year. We cut the patch late June/early July. It looks a bit anemic for a few days but then greens up and no one is the wiser. Yes, lawns make the perfect green foil for Daffodils. Next time place your newly cut Daffodils in water overnight. They do stop leaking their sticky sap after a while and you can mix them with other flowers. ox, Gina

Hello Martinelalison, How wonderful it would be to visit Chambon sur Lignon in the Springtime and enjoy your Daffodil festival. It must be quite a sight to see all of the vehicles covered with Jonquils. Thank you so much for your visit and thank you also for your lovely compliments. Gros bisous, oxoxoxox, Gina

Hello GinaThese are wonderful images of Spring.I wonder if I can source "Holland Sensation" here - I'm very taken with it!Also Pheasant Eye - you have a great collection and they look superb in your vase.Shane ♥

Hello Shane, You should not have any trouble finding the Daffodils which I have pictured. A good place to begin is the American Daffodil Society http://www.daffodilusa.com They will provide you with links to bulb sources. Thank you for your visit and lovely compliment. Gina

Copyright Notice

Art and Alfalfa

Here I share with you my obsession with Italian Renaissance Ceramics. I decided that painting them would not be so difficult. So I set about learning. My blog is about living the simple country life, tales from our travels and, of course, my hand painted ceramics.

Click on Etsy for Beautiful ceramics in my Etsy Shop

Where to buy my new book

Click on image for more information

Follow by Email

Followers

Treasure of the week

Tiles don't have to be square

Faux-cus on the Pros: Gina Garner

Thank You Theresa

Yes, it was a wonderful collaboration, click on picture for full story